U-12 Baseball World Cup: Adan Sanchez stars as Panama upsets Korea
TAINAN, Chinese Taipei-Adan Sanchez pitched 4 innings of no hit ball, topped a 2 hit game with a solo shot and proved the her of Panama’s 1-0 win over Korea. USA (16-0 over Australia) and Nicaragua (17-2 over Germany) lived easier debuts
Panama flew to Chinese Taipei chasing a medal and they proved they did mean it with a debut 1-0 win against South Korea.
The big win had a big hero behind it. Adan Sanchez started the game at third, got a double in his first at bat, the only hit of the game until Sanchez himself connected for the second (and a big one, as we will see) in the top of the sixth, and took the mound in the bottom of the third when left hander Jaen Ortega hit lead off Jang Jeongu. Sanchez got started with a walk, got a little help from arguable base running by Korea, and then cruised all the way to the end of the game impressing with an 80 mile per hour fastball and some command of a circle change and a breaking ball. Sanchez and Ortega actually combined for a no hitter.
There’s more to make Adan Sanchez day impressive. The hit he led off the sixth with was a towering home run to left, that meant the game for Panama. In the bottom half of the frame Sanchez went back to the mound and walked Jang Jeongu, but then got him with a throw to second on Lee Jinjung comebacker. Lee was then the second out, caught stealing by catcher Batista on a well manufactured pitch out, and Sanchez sealed the victory striking out Lee Jinjung.
Adan Sanchez swings for the fences in the sixth
Korea’s pitching was not less impressive. Starter Jang Jeongu left with 2 outs in the third after allowing only one hit. Ji Seungwon moved to the mound from shortstop to pitch the rest of the game.
USA 16-0 victory over Australia was a display of power. The 2 time defending champions hit 4 home runs: a grand slam by left fielder Grahovac and 3 more by center fielder Reiland, DH Burnes and pinch hitter Barnes.
Bryce Rainers (3 innings, 1 walk, 5 strike outs) and Ashton Larson (one perfect inning) combined for a no hitter.
Nicaragua used an 11 run second inning to break the score open against Germany and closed it out 17-2 in 4 innings.Germany needed 3 pitchers to get the 3 outs of the second frame (starter Schilke got none, reliever Fernandez ghelped with 2 and his reliever Kleehaupt got the third) and was limited to one hit (by pinch hitter Moritz) against Derick Reyes and Bryan Morales. Nicaragua didn’t need power: every player in the starting line up had at least one hit (a total of 17) and only one (a double by shortstop Machado) was for extra bases.
